1 Corinthians 14:8


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
- is the explanatory use of the postpositive conjunctive particle GAR, meaning “For”
plus the intensive use of the conjunction KAI, meaning “indeed, really, in fact.” Then we have
the third class conditional particle EAN, meaning “if and it may or may not happen.” This is
followed by the accusative direct object from the feminine singular adjective ADĒLOS, which
means “not clear, Lk 11:44; indistinct.”1 Then we have the nominative subject from the
feminine singular noun SALPIGX, which means “trumpet, the instrument itself 1 Cor 14:8; Heb
12:19; Rev 1:10; 4:1; 8:2, 6, 13; 9:14.”2 This is followed by the accusative direct object from the
feminine singular noun PHWNĒ, meaning “sound.” This is followed by the third person
singular aorist active subjunctive from the verb DIDWMI, meaning “to give.”
The aorist tense is a constative aorist, which looks at the action as a whole and states it as
a fact without reference to its progress.
The active voice indicates that the trumpet produces the action.
The subjunctive mood is a potential. The subjunctive is used with EAN or AN in the
protasis of a third class condition to express a probable future condition.
“For indeed, if the trumpet gives an indistinct sound,”
 - is the
nominative subject from the masculine singular interrogative pronoun TIS, which is used in
direct, indirect, and rhetorical questions, meaning “who? which (one)? what?”3 This is followed
by the third person singular future middle indicative from the verb PARASKEUAZW, which
means in the active voice in Acts 10:10, “to prepare 
oneself for something; and in the middle voice, to prepare (oneself) 1 Cor 14:8.”4
The future tense is a deliberative future, which is used in questions to consult the
judgment of another person.
The middle voice is a direct or reflexive middle in which the subject acts directly upon
itself with reflexive force.
The indicative mood is an interrogative indicative, used in a simple question that can be
answered by providing factual information.
Finally, we have the preposition EIS plus the accusative of purpose from the masculine singular
noun POLEMOS, which means “armed conflict; war Heb 11:34; wars and rumors of wars Mt
24:6; Mk 13:7; make war on someone Lk 14:31; Rev 11:7; 12:17; 13:7; 19:19; of a single
engagement battle, fight.”5
1 Bauer, Walter, Gingrich, F. Wilbur, and Danker, Frederick W., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
and Other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 1979.
2 Bauer, Walter, Gingrich, F. Wilbur, and Danker, Frederick W., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
and Other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 1979.
3 Bauer, Walter, Gingrich, F. Wilbur, and Danker, Frederick W., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
and Other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 1979.
4 Bauer, Walter, Gingrich, F. Wilbur, and Danker, Frederick W., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
and Other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 1979.
5 Bauer, Walter, Gingrich, F. Wilbur, and Danker, Frederick W., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
and Other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 1979.
1
1 Corinthians 14:8
“who will prepare himself for battle?”
1 Cor 14:8 corrected translation
“For indeed, if the trumpet gives an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?”
Explanation:
1. “For indeed, if the trumpet gives an indistinct sound,”
a. Paul adds an additional illustration by way of explanation, turning his attention from
musical instruments in general to the specific use of the trumpet in warfare.
b. Sound commands have always been a part of the military. It was true in the ancient
world and it is still true today.
c. This was particularly applicable to the Corinthians, who had a rich tradition in
warfare, and understood Paul’s illustration perfectly.
d. Bugle calls can signal an advance, a retreat, or to stand your ground and fight. If the
bugle call is indistinct, the troops aren’t sure what to do. This can spell disaster on the
battlefield.
e. The same is true in the spiritual life. If the communication of doctrine is not clearly
understood, then how does the believer know what to do. He or she becomes confused and goes
down in spiritual defeat.
f. The spiritual gift of tongues is analogous to the indistinct sound on the spiritual
battlefield. All it does is cause confusion, and those believers involved go down in defeat.
2. “who will prepare himself for battle?”
a. Believers are in spiritual warfare, Eph 6:12, “because our warfare is not against blood
and flesh but against rulers [demon general officers], against authorities [demon officer corps],
against world rulers of this darkness [demon ambassadors], against the spirit forces of evil in the
heavenlies [rank and file demons].”
b. We are commanded to be prepared for battle, Eph 6:13-17, “Therefore, pick up and
put on the full armor from God, that you may be able to stand your ground in the evil day, even
after you have done everything to hold your ground. Therefore, hold your ground, after you
have buckled your combat gear around your waist with truth and after you have put on the
breastplate of righteousness, and after you have put on your combat boots with readiness [to
communicate] the gospel, the peace [reconciliation], with all these things pick up and carry the
shield of faith [faith-rest drill] by which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of
the evil one; and grasp the helmet of salvation [deliverance] and draw the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.”
c. The believer is prepared for battle with the word of God in his soul, not with the
spiritual gift of tongues. Only communication spiritual gifts prepare us for the battle of
application of doctrine. We must have the doctrine in our souls.
d. We cannot apply a spiritual gift to the problems and testings of life; we can only apply
what we have learned from the word of God. The spiritual gift of tongues has never prepared
anyone for the spiritual battles of life.
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1 Corinthians 14:8
3. 1 Pet 1:13, “For this reason prepare your mind for action, be self-controlled, have absolute
confidence in the grace which is being brought to all of you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
a. The action that the mind takes is thinking.
b. A thought can make or break you in the spiritual life.
c. You are what you think spiritually.
d. The Christian life is a life of thinking.
e. God is much more interested in what you think than what you do because your
thinking determines your actions; example, Heb 11. Without thinking, there is no proper doing.
God expects right thinking to produce right action—a right thing done in a right way.
f. When you think the thoughts of God, you are taking definite action in the spiritual life.
g. Being a doer of the word of God is being a thinker of Bible doctrine.
h. In order to think doctrine, you have to know doctrine.
i. In order to know doctrine, you have to learn doctrine.
j. In order to learn doctrine, you have to have someone teach you doctrine in the privacy
of a local church, in objectivity, and in humility.
k. So preparing your mind for action means a number of things.
(1) You have to have the humility of a willingness to learn.
(2) You have to have the willingness to go to where Bible doctrine is taught.
This often requires some sacrifices on your part.
(3) You have to have the willingness to be objective toward the things with
which you don’t agree.
(4) You have to reject the arrogance skills of self-justification, self-deception,
self-absorption, and self-gratification.
(5) You have to be willing to let God the Holy Spirit control your soul, that is,
influence your thinking.
(6) You have to learn and master basic doctrines such as what is the spiritual life,
what is spirituality, what is salvation, what is eternal life and eternal security, what are the
characteristics of God, why do Christians suffer, how do believers learn spiritual things and
apply them to life, what is grace, prayer, witnessing, giving.
(7) You have to learn and master advanced doctrines such as the spiritual
solutions (problem solving devices), the nature of the protocol plan of God, the unique
characteristics of the Church Age, suffering for blessing, virtue-love, sharing the happiness of
God, occupation with Christ.
l. Preparing your mind for action is everything involved in operation Z, the
metabolization of Bible doctrine, doctrine circulating in your stream of consciousness, and using
the spiritual solutions to apply doctrine to your experience.
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